Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Your first birthday fell on a Thursday, Dear Alon, so Nanay and Tatay took a leave so we can celebrate this wonderful day. What made Nanay more happy was Lola Mommy El flew all the way from Davao to spend time with us too! Lola Francie also took a day off to be with you. See how special you are, my little wave!

In the morning, your Yaya Jheana and I brought you downstairs to the pool to swim. Tatay could not join us because he had to do some stuff for work.

Since it was a weekday, we had the pool all to ourselves. Wheeeee!

After our dip, you took a short nap. You seem to know that something special was going on since you woke up with just in time for us to go to Church and pray for thanksgiving on your day. During Mass, you would not stay still. Well, you have not been able to stay still lately, to be honest. So Tatay, Nanay and Yaya Jheana had to alternate in bringing you outside so we don't bother other people praying.

You were fascinated by the birds hopping on the grass and the fish swimming in the pond. You were able to see turtles for the first time. I was not sure if you liked them but you did point to them a lot. We tried having you sit on the carabao sculptures around the chapel but it was not something you were interested in.

Lunch was a challenge. It seemed that even if it was already one in the afternoon, people were still enjoying their meal. We wanted to eat at Cibo since it will have pasta but it was too croweded. We ended up eating at a Shabu-Shabu place which Tatay suggested because he remembered that I've wanted to eat shabu-shabu for a long time.

Nanay and Alon waiting for the food to come

Tatay entertaining Alon while waiting for the food. Not sure if he is succeeding. :P

The shabu-shabu lunch was not a good idea after all. No one really knew how to prepare the food. Well, Nanay did, but I was too busy paying attention to you. I was also a bit worried that your last solid meal was 7:30 in the morning and it was already almost two in the afternoon so I gave you a bit of lengua to gato to snack on. I think that was the reason you refused to eat the noodles and rice and meet lunch I prepared. This actually stressed me out because I wanted you to have a hearty meal on your birthday! Tatay could see that Nanay was losing her "it's-Alon's-birthday-glow" from the stress of your non-interest in food and my hunger, so he took a break from his meal and took you for a walk outside the restaurant.

Lola Francie and Mommy Elma doting on the birthday boy.

The suave and charming celebrant

After the somewhat disappointing lunch, your Lola Francie brought us to Market! Market! so I can buy additional game prizes for your birthday celebration. Your Tita Ina was right about this store that had lots and lots and lots of goodies to choose from. While not as cheap as Divisoria,it was definitely sufficient and cheap enough for what we needed to get. We then went home after our shopping trip.

Since your Tito Ninong Roy was not able to celebrate with you, we decided to have a part two of your birthday day. I asked that Ninong get you Pancake House spaghetti. We ordered pizza from Calda Pizza nearby and Tatay bought Purple Oven Apple Crumble Pie.

The Resurreccions

The Caminas

Finally, you had the meal that Nanay wanted you to have. You ate two-thirds of the spaghetti! This made Nanay happy, that the celebrant partook of the feast and not just the guests.

After you had your meal and we had our pizza, it was finally time to blow your cake. There were some hiccups looking for the candles that we bought a few months back as well as looking for a lighter for the candle. I actually went all the way to the smoking area to find a smoker. I did find one and asked her to light one of the candles I was holding. My trouble was for naught because Tatay was finally able to find a guard with a lighter. But see, Nanay is willing to go through all sorts of challenges to make things special for you.

We sang you a short birthday song. You were fascinated with the candle and still did not know what to do with it except stare. Tatay blew your candle for you because the wax was ready to drip on the pie. That pie was really good! You got to taste the apple inside but I guess you were too full to ask for more bites.

Wheeee! Happy first birthday, Alon!

It was a simple celebration spent with family. And family is definitely one of the most important things you should learn about and embrace in life, my dear Alon. They will love you and care for you even if it is not your birthday. :)

Happy, happy birthday, dear Alon! While you may not remember much of that day, I will. And at least Nanay knows we celebrated it with love and fun. :)

Vanenie! No problem at all. We were so glad you could make it. Thank you so much for coming. Sorry I didn't get a chance to chat much. And loooove the gift. We haven't used it yet but I think in a month or two, Alon will be ready for it. :)